Rapid advances in sensor technology are enabling the move from standalone sensor modules to wearable electronics to disappearable electronics that are integrated into aspects of our lives not typically associated with electronics. Disappearable electronics include those electronics that have become so integrated into a user and/or accoutrements of the user as to be nearly indistinguishable, such as sensor tattoos on the skin, sensor earbuds, ingestible electronics, and sensors integrated into fabrics. For example, electronic fabrics can include circuits, sensors, actuators, batteries, energy generators, and antennas.
Electronics integrated into fabrics offer a number of advantages over traditional electronics in certain circumstances. Integration of a sensor into a fabric during manufacture allows for the sensor to be any size or shape. Additionally, sensors can be integrated in ways traditional sensors cannot, due to the size, shape, or weight of the traditional sensor.